1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage crates, and to modifying structures therefor. More particularly, the present invention relates to an open end frame structure for replacing at least a portion of an end wall of a storage crate, and to stiffening members for reinforcing the side walls of a large storage crate formed by combining smaller storage crates.
2. Background Art
Storage crates are widely used in industrial settings. In particular, large industrial storage crates are commonly used in shipping and in warehousing inventory. A commonly used type of large plastic storage crate, which is foldably collapsible when not in use, is commercially available from the Ropak Corporation of Georgetown, Ky., and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,079, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The collapsible nature of the crates is very desirable for reducing the space required to store and transport the crates when empty.
Many other types of storage crates are commercially available. Sometimes storage crates, for use in a particular application, are found to be more convenient to use if they are modified to have a substantially open end wall, in order to make an interior end portion thereof more accessible, to more easily remove individual parts therefrom, as needed.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the applicant has previously proposed to modify a foldable plastic storage crate 9, relative to an open end thereof, in the following manner. First, a fully formed foldable storage crate is obtained, and then, a saber saw or other portable power saw is used to cut away the majority of an end panel thereof, leaving only a lower hinge section 13 of the end panel intact. The entire top section (not shown) of the end panel, approximately 80-90% of the panel, is cut off, leaving the lower section 13, which includes a plurality of interlocking hinge extensions 15, in place. The hinge extensions 15 receive a hinge pin 17 therethrough, to cooperate with corresponding hinge extensions extending upwardly from the floor section 19 of the crate 9, in forming a hinge joint. The cut away portion (not shown) is discarded or recycled.
Then, a rigid C-shaped frame 18, which is made of flat metal stock or of angle iron, is attached to the remaining bottom section 13 of the end panel using screws, rivets, or other appropriate fastening means, to create an open-ended crate, with the existing hinge joint from the original end panel still in place and working. Conventional cable material C may be strung across the frame 18 as shown, as a means to restrain objects within the crate from passing through the open frame when not desired. A spring clip or the like is provided on one end of each cable for permitting the cable end to be disengaged from the frame when desired.
Sometimes a particular storage crate does not have adequate capacity for a specific application thereof, and a user may wish to connect two or more storage crates together to form a larger capacity crate assembly. Methods and equipment for connecting containers together are discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/066,872 filed Apr. 27, 1998, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Once connected, the side walls of the larger capacity crate assembly span typically twice the distance of their original side wall design intent. As such, they usually lack sufficient stiffness to resist bowing outward when the container is filled with storage materials. Most conventional methods and equipment for connecting such containers together to form a larger capacity container fail to address this problem.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/066,872 filed Apr. 27, 1998 does address this problem, but such disclosure is difficult in practice to use. The referenced patent application discloses an optional side rail, typically consisting of 1/4" steel bar stock for reinforcing the side walls of a larger container assembly. The side rail disclosed therein requires extensive modifications to the container side walls in order to be installed. Such modifications include routering of container side walls to provide slots for such side rails, as well as drilling attachment holes in portions of the side walls which are difficult to access. Installation of such side rails is therefore very cumbersome and undesirable.
While numerous varieties of storage containers are known and available for storing materials of various types, a need still exists for improved modifying structures for storage crates. In particular, there is a need for an improved end member for use in a storage crate, to provide an open-ended storage crate, which still provides strength and support to safely ship inventory therein, when the modified open-ended crate is used in conjunction with an open frame end panel thereacross. In addition, there is a particular need for stiffening members to reinforce the side walls of large capacity storage crates formed from the union of two or more smaller storage crates.